Some thoughts from a First Time Cruise on Oceania

[Mura]

We did the Conoisseur menu a couple of years ago and it remains our favorite of the La Reserve options. But it IS expensive. We've never been unhappy with the La Reserve menus, but we don't consider ourselves to be wine experts either! If the meal is good and we enjoy the wines, it's all good. And we've always had pleasant conversations with our table mates.

 

The only one we haven't tried yet is the new one, and we'll be trying that out on Riviera in May.

 

Someone else posted about questioning comparing meals at sea to meals on land, which I think is a valid comment. Which is not to question the appreciation of the Woodstock meal! We've had wonderful meals on land in unexpected locations ... but we don't compare them to what a ship can produce ...

 

Maybe we should? It just IS harder to get fresh supplies on an ocean going ship!

 

I do think that the meals we had at the late lamented World Trade Center in the Wine Cellar, for far reduced prices, were about the best we ever had ...

 

Mura

[baggal]

There were 3 La Reserve menus until December and 2 of them were still $95 +Grats to total $112. I think Keithm has signed up for the Connoisseur menu which is $165 + grats so approx $195 total.

I agree the Discovery menu was the least interesting and I'm pretty sure the new Bourgeoise dinner is going to replace the Discovery menu. The Discovery menu was also always done the day after boarding with that 72 hr braised short rib on the menu. Given that the ship has to go through inspections sometimes and kitchens have to be clean and nothing cooking, how are they braising for 72 hrs. Also true, the 72 hr braised short rib on the dining room menu and in the terrace is better than than what they had in the Discovery menu.

 

Today is a snow day in NJ and accordingly, I'm making 3 hour braised short ribs. The short ribs come from a high end (IMO overpriced) supermarket and cost $30 for 4.5 lbs. I don't know what else is on the menu in La Reserve to justify the menu cost, but I'll gladly put my short ribs up against Oceania's any day of the week. I'd be hard pressed to pay an additional fee for a La Reserve dinner. But for those who do, enjoy!

[keithm]

Today is a snow day in NJ and accordingly, I'm making 3 hour braised short ribs. The short ribs come from a high end (IMO overpriced) supermarket and cost $30 for 4.5 lbs. I don't know what else is on the menu in La Reserve to justify the menu cost, but I'll gladly put my short ribs up against Oceania's any day of the week. I'd be hard pressed to pay an additional fee for a La Reserve dinner. But for those who do, enjoy!

My partner, Richard(the chef in the family)did a traditional Beef Wellington for the family on Christmas Eve. That along with the sides, apps & desserts made quite a night. For meats, try Costco near the holidays. Some can be very pricey. The tenderloin for the Wellington was a "prime" grade tenderloin.

[keithm]

We did the Conoisseur menu a couple of years ago and it remains our favorite of the La Reserve options. But it IS expensive. We've never been unhappy with the La Reserve menus, but we don't consider ourselves to be wine experts either! If the meal is good and we enjoy the wines, it's all good. And we've always had pleasant conversations with our table mates.

 

The only one we haven't tried yet is the new one, and we'll be trying that out on Riviera in May.

 

Someone else posted about questioning comparing meals at sea to meals on land, which I think is a valid comment. Which is not to question the appreciation of the Woodstock meal! We've had wonderful meals on land in unexpected locations ... but we don't compare them to what a ship can produce ...

 

Maybe we should? It just IS harder to get fresh supplies on an ocean going ship!

 

I do think that the meals we had at the late lamented World Trade Center in the Wine Cellar, for far reduced prices, were about the best we ever had ...

 

Mura

Though the meal at the Lincoln Inn is what we measure against all others, for cruise line food, we measure all against the Queens Grill on the OM2. So far in our opinion it's still the finest. Their willingness to allow us to really venture off menu is quite unique.

[baggal]

My partner, Richard(the chef in the family)did a traditional Beef Wellington for the family on Christmas Eve. That along with the sides, apps & desserts made quite a night. For meats, try Costco near the holidays. Some can be very pricey. The tenderloin for the Wellington was a "prime" grade tenderloin.

 

So ironic. I just made a COSTCO tenderloin last week (cost about $90 but there's very little waste) because its my 2.5 year old granddaughter's favorite cut of meat. (Yes, a sophisticated palate at 2.5!) Everyone agreed that it was by far, the best filet of beef that we have every had! It was extraordinary! But on the other hand, I realize that there are some/many cruise passengers who don't have access to COSTCO or other upscale supermarkets and butchers. So a steakhouse or other "gourmet" restaurants is a necessary part of the cruise experience for them. For me, living in a NYC suburb with access to the finest restaurants, not so much.

[Mura]

filet, short ribs, etc., are all pretty pricey at my butcher's ... but I consider them worth the price.

 

I remember when I first started making veal shanks and the butcher virtually gave them away. No longer!!!

 

Mura

[cruisingxpert]

Their short rib is braised for 72 hours and looks like this when it is done. Here’s a picture so you can compare yours.[emoji846]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ORV]

Please remember that in La Reserve you are paying for the wine pairing as much or more than the meal, although the meal is quite good.

[baggal]

Their short rib is braised for 72 hours and looks like this when it is done. Here’s a picture so you can compare yours.[emoji846]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the photo. It looks like it was prepared using the "sous vide" method - which is cooking at a very low temperature using special equipment (essentially the meat is put in a plastic bag which is then submerged in warm, not hot, water for a long period of time). That's why it takes up to 72 hours. The results are an extremely tender piece of meat. When I had it in someone's home, they threw the meat on the grill to give it some color after the "sous vide" bath.

 

I didn't take a photo of my short ribs, but they were made using a conventional dutch oven and they were delicious!

[keithm]

So ironic. I just made a COSTCO tenderloin last week (cost about $90 but there's very little waste) because its my 2.5 year old granddaughter's favorite cut of meat. (Yes, a sophisticated palate at 2.5!) Everyone agreed that it was by far, the best filet of beef that we have every had! It was extraordinary! But on the other hand, I realize that there are some/many cruise passengers who don't have access to COSTCO or other upscale supermarkets and butchers. So a steakhouse or other "gourmet" restaurants is a necessary part of the cruise experience for them. For me, living in a NYC suburb with access to the finest restaurants, not so much.

The prime Tenderloin for the Wellington cost $150. Not cheap, but what a meal. Here's our Christmas Eve. menu:

Amuse':

Lobster Gougere

Soup:

Thai Seafood Soup

Main:

Traditional Beef Wellington

Madeira Sauce

Sides:

Au gratin Potatoes

Sweet potato Spoon bread

Spinach Soufflé

Green Bean Casserole

Desserts:

Brooklyn Cheesecake

Chocolate Raspberry Bombe

[palakika]

Sounds heavenly!!

[baggal]

The prime Tenderloin for the Wellington cost $150. Not cheap, but what a meal. Here's our Christmas Eve. menu:

Amuse':

Lobster Gougere

Soup:

Thai Seafood Soup

Main:

Traditional Beef Wellington

Madeira Sauce

Sides:

Au gratin Potatoes

Sweet potato Spoon bread

Spinach Soufflé

Green Bean Casserole

Desserts:

Brooklyn Cheesecake

Chocolate Raspberry Bombe

 

Wow! That's some menu, especially if it was prepared by only one home chef! I hope all who dined with you that night were appropriately appreciative.

[TLCOhio]

Wow! That's some menu, especially if it was prepared by only one home chef! I hope all who dined with you that night were appropriately appreciative.

 

Yes, agree, that this great menu seems wonderful. Missed that invite to this wonderful dining delight. Appreciate these postings. Makes me hungry.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 192,879 views for this posting.

[floridatravelersforlife]

We finished a short cruise to Cuba on the Insignia right before Xmas, and I think the food was better than on our previous French Polynesia cruise. Everything was perfect

[Holly2]

Agree. Did you feel service was lacking because was a short cruise?

[Go-Bucks!]

Agree. Did you feel service was lacking because was a short cruise?

We recently took a short 7 day Cuba cruise. Anytime someone cooks my food, serves it to me, does the clean up and keeps my room clean is fantastic service to me. ;)

 

And they certainly did all those things. :D

[Paulchili]

Agree. Did you feel service was lacking because was a short cruise?

 

I am not sure why the service would be different for short cruises than longer ones?

The staff tends to work the same no matter how long the cruise is.

What does tend to vary on short cruises IME is the clientele.

[Holly2]

Felt they were taking a break before round the world cruise.

[keithm]

Wow! That's some menu, especially if it was prepared by only one home chef! I hope all who dined with you that night were appropriately appreciative.

Oh, trust me they are! If I could figure how to post some of the pics, I'd post some. Just not sure how it's done.

[Calitexar]

Richard & I will be on the Riviera in 2 weeks. We're both in the food industry, so we're NOT subjective when it comes to food. Either the food IS gourmet standard or it is not. For those who mostly dine at places like "Applebee's/Texas Road house/Longhorn" & God forbid..

"Golden Corral", sorry but those people wouldn't know true gourmet food if it bit them in the a##! For us the best meals we had at sea, were dining for 11 nights in the Queens Grill on the QM2. Frequently we ventured "off menu" to try out the chefs' skills. For the most part they excelled with flying colors. We've done Cunard/Celebrity/ Princess several times. Celebrity had good to very good MDR food. The specialty rest. were always excellent. This year the quality diminished terribly this time around. They have a new Ex. chef from Jamaica on the Eclipse. The Maître D actually "paraded" him around the dining room on our last trip to have him explain to the disappointed pax.

The Regal Princess had generally very good MDR food(early seating) The specialty restaurants, though,were rather average. The beef was no more than "select" grade at best. Celebrity uses "Choice" & at times "Prime"(for extra fee) Hearing what we hear overall about Oceania & being very familiar with Jacques Pepin, we have high expectations & we'll see how they do. I'll have a very in depth review on the food & the overall experience.

 

We will be on the Riviera 1/13 sailing as well. Looking forward to our first O cruise.

[Eloquence]

Regarding excursions, the Destinations department on each ship operates independently from the Ocean shore department. They screw up pre-booked excursions when the reservations are transferred from the shore to the boat at sailing. DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING.

 

We had lots of problems. Many people were not happy with their lack of knowledge of the excursions and that they are closed most of the day while in port. Nobody available to staff the desk.

[cathi]

If you are concerned about the size of the shower, book the higher category. For me the shower curtain is not a problem. Just don't use it! Leave it open and you get a lot of extra room. So the floor gets wet - solution put the floor mat on the toilet until you shower then throw it on the floor. Double the size of the shower!!!!!

And for all of you worried about being in a smaller cabin for an ATW sailing - DON"T be worried. We spent 180 days in a concierge cabin and loved it!!! Yes it is the same size as a B cabin but you do get a bottle of champagne for ever segment!! We just wanted a cabin on a floor between 2 floors of cabins. Never felt too small and there was enough storage for all those clothes you are going to bring. Just don't forget things like organizers, magnetic or those stick on ones that pull off. You will find they come in handy!!!

[Go-Bucks!]

If you are concerned about the size of the shower, book the higher category.

 

Easier said than done if the higher category is all booked and it's a very popular cruise! :')

For me the shower curtain is not a problem. Just don't use it! Leave it open and you get a lot of extra room. So the floor gets wet - solution put the floor mat on the toilet until you shower then throw it on the floor. Double the size of the shower!!!!!

This is a great idea if you don't mind mopping up the bathroom after each shower.

 

And for all of you worried about being in a smaller cabin for an ATW sailing - DON"T be worried. We spent 180 days in a concierge cabin and loved it!!!....Never felt too small...

For my friend and I it DID feel too small for 6 months. To each his own. When we booked, we didn't realize how small the cabin and especially the bathroom would feel. Luckily we sailed in that same type cabin last month and decided that we truly did want to move to a PH cabin although we'd been on the waitlist since May, 2017. But God often works in mysterious ways and He provided us a PH cabin for Christmas! We are very grateful.

[Holly2]

Glad it worked out for you.

[StanandJim]

Oh, trust me they are! If I could figure how to post some of the pics, I'd post some. Just not sure how it's done.

 

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